Can you believe we’re already well and truly into spring skiing season? It seems like only yesterday we were dusting the cobwebs off our boards, scraping off the layers of storage wax and putting our bank accounts into a deficit after the pre-season apparel/lift-pass ‘1,2 knockout’ combo.
Although before you start to worry about the snow season coming to an end, there’s still heaps happening around Hakuba over the next few weeks – including snowfall, with over 45cm falling in the last month alone!
So let’s dive in, what’s poppin’ in Hakuba for the last month of the snow season?
Spring Laps and Bike Tracks
Want to know the best way to wrap up a morning ride? Kickstarting the afternoon with a quick lap around the valley on two-wheels!
Still trying to figure out how that logistically works? Well, as of right now, RIGHT NOW, bike rentals are now available at our Rhythm Happo location. And we’re not just talkin’ about any bikes–Happo’s not stocking the same range of Huffy’s you’ll find in your local K-Mart– we’re talkin’, a brand spankin’ new range of Specialized Hybrid, E-Hybrid, and Kids Mountain bikes all available for hire!
The best part? Our Free Gear Swap policy applies to both bikes and winter gear, so if you want to head off for a few spring park laps and then wrap up the afternoon with a scenic cruise, you can!
*Standard swap to hybrid town bike. Premium swap to e-hybrid town bike or hybrid town bike.
Buy a board, kick a flip
If you didn’t clue on from the clearly obvious (and super witty) pun sub-heading, skateboards are also now on sale at our Rhythm Summit location! It may be slightly too early to hillbomb Iwatake (good luck), but True Players is always a good call if you’re keen on a rip, and it’s only a few short weeks before our outdoor pop-up parks arrive at our Hakuba store locations!
Park Laps With Minimal Stacks (Hopefully)
Blue skies, soft slush, less crowds, it’s park season–time to bust out the mid-layers, add some more dings to your beaten-up park setup and send it this spring.
Backcountry Touring
Backcountry touring in winter can be a bit of a slog, and not just because of the hike. Blizzards, low-light conditions, rapid changes in temparture – there’s a lot that people need to endure just to score untracked pow.
In spring, not so much an issue. Why not find a local guide, deck yourself out with avi safety gear and explore the backcountry for the first time this spring? Trust us, you’ll score some wicked pow, even this late on in the season.
Blooming Cherry Blossoms (Maybe)
Look, this one may be chotto (‘[a] little’) clickbait-y, as at this stage it seems the famous Nagano Sakura trees aren’t scheduled to bloom until after next month. Butttttt, we’re talking about a winter season that was record breaking for the Hakuba valley. So really, it seems mother nature doesn’t even know what’s up at the moment. With that in mind, we’re going to call it: cherry blossom season within the next month, let’s go!
Why do we say that? Well, word on the street is that some of the world-famous cherry blossoms are already popping up in Hakuba’s neighbouring city of Matsumuto, so really, we think it’s a safe (enough) call to say by the end of the month you’ll be able shred, ride and view some cherry blossom’s all in the one day. Really, we feel like we’re backing the winning horse here.
If you disagree with our prediction but we end up being correct, you owe Thomo a beer. If you aren’t sure who Thomo is, you are definitely not spending enough time in our Hakuba stores and should immediately book that flight, head in-store…. and buy Thomo a beer. Yeah, we have a cafe and bar in-store too!
P.S.A. If our prediction ends up being wrong, we can’t guarantee Thomo will buy every reader a beer (but it’s worth asking).
Epic Sales
Why is it that you never see skiers and snowboarders crying when the end of the snow season rolls around?
Because they know that the end of the season means EPIC end of season sales – and what’s there to be sad about when you can score up to 50% off outerwear from all your favourite snowsports brands? Nothing, there is nothing to be sad about… *wipes away tears with the sleeve of a brand new Burton AK jacket.
Space Watching
No, we’re not telling you to order a telescope and go stargazing in Hakuba this spring. ALTHOUGH, upon second thought, Hakuba DOES actually have some insanely cool stargazing, so maybe, you should do that.
But, that’s not what we’re talking about. We just wanted to drop a healthy ‘watch this space’ as it seems something pretty epic is currently being constructed next to the newly installed evo Hotel Hakuba. What could it be? I guess we will find out soon….
While the mothership, Rhythm Wadano, has already closed it’s doors for the winter season, Rhythm Happo and Rhythm Summit are both still in operation for until the beginning of May, don’t miss the chance for a last minute shred before the summertime!
